♦ fresh herbs like Thai basil or cilantro
8. Serve over rice or Asian noodles for a quick, healthy, and filling meal!
How to Make Tofu Delicious
Let’s have a word about tofu, shall we?
People in the U.S. have been hating on tofu for decades now, calling it bland, gross, or a poor substitute for meat. As if that’s not enough, plenty of “health food” cookbooks will steer you in the wrong direction when it comes to tofu prep. But tofu’s got a distinguished culinary history in Asia, where people have been making delicious bean curd dishes for centuries—dishes that even omnivores eat with relish!
Tofu comes in several varieties, which are suitable for different purposes. Standard grocery stores typically sell two types:
Firm: good for freezing and thawing to use in marinades or in stir-fries; deep-frying in cubes; and slicing thin and baking.
Silken: good in miso soup and, to some extent, creamy dressings.
At an Asian market, you’ll likely find a wider range, with more variations in texture and flavor. The following are great in stir-fries:
• Shreds
• Pressed and flavored
• Pressed and fried (sometimes called “tofu steak”)
• Puffs
• Fresh
• Water-packed
Beyond stir-fries, seek out tofu recipes by writers who are trained in fine East Asian cooking, such as Fuchsia Dunlop, or try these techniques, which are good with the firm and water-packed variety.
Frozen and Thawed Tofu
A lot of cookbooks tell you to press tofu before adding to a recipe. Substitute this stuff, and you may just make the first tofu you’ve ever truly loved. You’ll almost never go wrong by having a freezer full of it. Drain the tofu (no need to blot it dry), slice it into 1-inch cubes or ½-inch slabs, and then freeze it in plastic bags. It develops a meaty, chewy texture, soaks up marinades like a fiend, and is spectacular in casseroles, stir-fries, and bakes. Pull it out on busy weeknights and thaw it in the same amount of time it takes to press tofu in a colander.
Baked Tofu
Baked tofu is one of the two great temporal lies of cookbooks. (What’s the other? “Cook the onions for 10 minutes.” Cooking them for 30 minutes will invariably result in a better recipe.) Tofu starts to look good after 20 minutes, but baking it for 40 to 60 minutes will result in a pleasantly chewy texture. Baked tofu is great for topping salads.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut a standard block of tofu once lengthwise and then into 1-inch-thick slabs. Make a marinade of 2 parts soy sauce, 4 parts rice vinegar, 1 part sriracha, and a dash of sesame oil. Put the tofu in a tempered glass baking pan and pour in the marinade until it barely covers the tops of the slices. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until it looks delicious.
5 Great Bacon Substitutes
If you’re missing bacon, chances are you’re craving some combination of saltiness, smokiness, chewiness, fattiness, and savoriness—probably not the cruelty! In addition to mock bacon strips, try getting your fix from one of these:
1. Commercial “bacon bits” sold as salad toppings. Salty, crunchy, and with a meaty flavor, these are great as a garnish for green salads or sprinkled on pasta or potato salads. They’re also good in recipes for sweet-and-savory cookies, scones, or shortbread. Many versions are just texturized soy protein, salt, and vegetarian flavor extracts. Check the printed ingredients list to ensure that they’re veg-friendly…and don’t confuse them for health food!
2. Tempeh bacon. This makes a juicy, chewy, smoky bacon substitute. Slice tempeh into strips, or crumble to make faux bacon bits, and panfry with a mixture of soy sauce, smoked paprika, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and neutral-tasting oil until the liquid evaporates.
3. Coconut bacon. If you’re missing the fat of bacon, coconut is your answer. Toss large-flake unsweetened coconut in a sauce that’s equal parts neutral oil, soy sauce/tamari, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and liquid smoke (or a pinch of smoked paprika). Bake on a lined baking sheet at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, turning every couple of minutes and keeping a close watch—this recipe goes from golden to blackened very quickly!
4. Smoked salt. This stuff is a great swap for bacon that is used as an ingredient in a dish, like in collard greens, or a condiment (there’s even a commercial version called Bacon Salt). Other swaps that add salty, smoky, rich flavors: ancho or chipotle chilis, beverages like lapsang souchong tea or rauschbier (great in stews or braises), or a dash of liquid smoke.
5. Shiitake mushroom bacon. If you like your bacon chewy instead of crispy, this one is for you. Clean and halve ½ pound of shiitake mushrooms, and then toss them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of tamari, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika. Marinate for 30 minutes, and then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 60 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so, until mushrooms are brown and chewy.
Umami Hacks
If you’re like many vegetarians, you’ll probably feel occasional pangs for foods you’ve given up. Missing meat may be a sign that you’re low on protein, iron, or other essential nutrients, or that you’re craving saltiness, fattiness, “meaty” mouthfeel, smokiness, or “savoriness,” aka umami.
Umami, along with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness, is one of the basic flavors. Often described as a savory, meaty taste, it is correlated with a general sense of deliciousness. It’s a common flavor in meat as well as in meatless foods that contain glutamate, such as:
• Oil-cured black olives
• Miso
• Fermented tofu
• Sun-dried tomatoes or tomato paste
• Tangy cultured nut spreads
• Nutritional yeast
• Asafetida (a spice used in Indian cuisine)
• Chinese fermented black beans
• West African fermented beans such as dawa dawa and gari
• Soy sauce or tamari
• Ume plum vinegar
• Dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
• Kombu and nori seaweed
• Cumin and smoked paprika
Feed your next craving with any of the above, or try one of these combinations:
• Seitan with capers
• Bread topped with smashed avocado and smoked paprika
• Miso soup with chewy tofu
• Smoked almonds
• VLT sandwich made with veggie bacon, good quality bread, and avocado
If you need to, reread “Reasons to Feel Awesome” and remind yourself of your motivation. Are you making these choices for your health? For the health of the animals? For the health of the planet? You can do this. One meal at a time.
How Not to Be Hungry 24/7
When you decide to cut meat from your diet, it’s an easy mistake to replace it strictly with starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta. And although meat has a lot of things in (and associated with) it that you don’t want, it is also rich in fat and protein, which your body digests more slowly than carbohydrates. As a result, new vegetarians often experience hunger more quickly and more often. Cravings can also be a sign that you’re low on calcium and iron-rich plant foods. If you find your stomach grumbling seemingly all the time, ask yourself:
• Are you eating enough fat and protein? A moderate amount of fat is your friend, and you definitely want to make sure you’re getting enough protein. Emphasize unprocessed, nutrient-dense sources like seeds, nuts, tempeh, beans, and moderate amounts of oils with monounsaturated fats.
• Are you snacking? It’s a good idea to have a healthy snack between your main meals. Whole nuts and seeds or veggie sticks with bean dip are great choices. Don’t let yourself go hungry.
• Are you truly hungry? Make sure you’re not angry, lonely, tired, or just having a craving for a particular food—a lot of people mistake strong
emotions for a need to eat. Or just plain thirsty. Take good care of yourself on every front!
• Are you craving a specific flavor? Check the nutrients in the thing you’re missing—in addition to protein, it could be calcium or iron, and there are plant-derived sources for that. Leafy greens like kale and collards will often make your body feel great.
Handling Tough Situations with Grace
Okay, you’ve got your diet plan figured out…and then other people come into the picture. When your food choices clash with those of the people you work, live, and hang out with, navigating familiar situations gets a bit trickier, though hardly impossible.
Home Situations
• If you live with people who eat meat, try to find favorite dishes that are already vegetarian, such as pasta with marinara sauce, tomato soup and grilled cheese, or veggie stir-fry.
• Don’t lose touch with your family recipes! Modifying and retaining treasured cooking traditions is a great way to show respect to older family members who might see your vegetarianism as a rejection. Definitely try to retain what you can of your history. (See the substitutions here for ways to make existing recipes vegetarian.)
• If you have a non-veg spouse or partner, work together to find (and cook!) meatless dishes you both enjoy. Consider setting some ground rules—for example, you won’t keep meat in the house, but it’s fine for your partner to eat meat at restaurants—and remember to be flexible.
Work Situations
• There’s a time for veg evangelism and a time to let things be, especially when your paycheck is at stake. Off the job, be an advocate if you want, but when you’re on the clock, don’t be “that guy.”
• If coworkers are going to sass you about being vegetarian, or just express some curiosity about your diet, there’s no need to make a big deal out of it. Answer any questions you receive simply and politely. “It’s a quinoa and chickpea salad. Would you like to try a bite?” goes over a lot better than “It’s my vegetarian lunch because I think meat is murder.” (You may think that, but people will come around on their own terms!)
• Pack lunches that work with the kitchen tools and appliances available to you. Fresh salads and perishable leftovers are great if you can store them in a fridge, but if all you have is a microwave and a can opener, bring canned bean soups. Nut butter sandwiches will keep without refrigeration for a few hours.
Social Situations
• At a dinner party: When you’re invited, tell the host that you’re vegetarian and would love to bring a dish to share. That way, you’ll have at least one thing to eat!
• At a cookout: If the grill is going to have meat on it and you don’t want your food in contact with the same surface, wrap some veggies and tofu cubes with a marinade inside a foil packet, and then place the packet on the grill when it’s cooking time.
• Hosting a party: If you’re veg for ethical reasons, you’re not obligated to serve foods that are contrary to your morals…but as a good host, you’re obligated to serve foods your guests will enjoy! Lots of common party snacks are vegetarian: pretzels, popcorn, chocolate, mixed nuts, cheese and crackers, hummus and veggies, chips and dips, and more. And no doubt you have guests who love lasagnas, salads, pizza, and chili and corn bread. Find out what your guests’ favorite foods and flavors are. Or consider hosting a themed potluck:
♦ Taco bar: Set out a bunch of fillings for tacos, or assign a filling to each friend, and see who comes up with the best combo.
♦ Roll your own sushi: Make a big batch of sushi rice and have everyone bring a veg maki filling. Have a few rolling mats and knives. Make a pot of miso soup to serve on the side while everyone rolls and slices.
♦ Pizza potluck: You supply the crusts and sauce, guests bring different toppings, and everyone tops their own personal pie.
♦ Cookbook party: Got a few friends who all love the same cookbook, but it’s too pricey (or complicated) for you to cook a whole meal out of alone? Have friends coordinate dishes from the cookbook to make and bring to build a fancy feast.
4 Little White Lies
Honesty, the saying goes, is the best policy. But we all inevitably find ourselves in situations when a quick excuse is the most effective form of communication. Maybe it’s an overbearing relative, a colleague or professional contact, or someone you just don’t know well. When you don’t want to eat a non-veg food, try saying:
• “I’m allergic to that.”
• “I’m recovering from food poisoning.”
• “I’m stuffed.”
• “I’m doing a diet challenge with friends, and I can’t eat that.”
Plus one dodge and one truth: If a fib doesn’t sit right with you, simply say, “No, thank you.” And of course, honesty is an option, and you might be surprised by how well your comment is received. With time, it gets easier to say: “Oh, thank you. It’s so kind of you to offer, but I’ll pass. I prefer to stick to vegetarian options—would you happen to have anything meatless?”
Dining Out as a Vegetarian
The next time your friends whine about having to go to some rabbit food hippie restaurant to make you happy, be brave, be bold, and eat well! The world of veggie options is bigger and richer than you’re imagined. And who knows? Your tabbouleh and falafel platter might just look so good next to your friend’s overcooked chicken breast that the next time you two go back, she’ll decide to have what you’re having.
Region-Specific Restaurants
• Middle Eastern or “Mediterranean” gets you tabbouleh, hummus, falafel, fattoush (a bread salad made with pita), and lentil soup.
• North African food (Moroccan, Tunisian) should have couscous, chickpea dishes, and, if you’re lucky, veggie harira, a flavorful soup with legumes and spices.
• Ethiopian cuisine has you covered with all sorts of wots—bean and vegetable stews—that are rich in flavor and nutrition. And everything is served on top of protein-dense injera, a pleasantly tangy flatbread.
• Indian is another good option. North Indian cuisine should have a full vegetarian section on the menu, and South Indian food is almost unfailingly veg-friendly.
• Caribbean Islands cuisine should give you options, with plenty of flavor to boot. Jamaica even has its own vegan-friendly health food tradition known as Ital food, part of the Rastafarian philosophy. Look for options ranging from steamed pumpkin and curried greens to spicy seitan, tofu, and soy protein.
• Central and South American places can hook you up with delicious veg meals. The ancient Aztecs and Mayans had the smart idea to treat corn with lime (known as nixtamalization), which makes the protein more accessible to the body. The result? Combine corn tortillas or rice with refried beans or black beans, and you’ve got a complete protein. Note that some restaurants cook their beans with lard.
• East Asian restaurants generally have something to offer.
♦ Japanese: Try avocado maki and edamame. Look out for fish—which may be labeled as bonito—in the soup broth.
♦ Korean: Try the vegetable bibimbap, but check for anchovies in the kimchi or the kochujang/hot sauce—claiming a spurious seafood allergy can help if your server is in a rush, since even the busiest kitchen doesn’t want to kill a customer!
♦ Chinese cuisine can offer great tofu and vegetable dishes. Steer clear of meat-broth-based sauces and oyster sauce, both of which can show up in seemingly veg dishes. It doesn’t hurt to ask if the food has “meat flavor” or is “suitable for a Buddhist diet.” Due to cultural differences, some people will hear “meat” and think “visible chunks,” not “any meat content in any form.”
♦ Vietnamese: Look forward to fresh veggie and herb spring rolls, lemongrass tofu over rice noodles, a tofu banh mi sandwich, and more. Just ask for no fish sauce, and be aware that the same warnings about meat broths in Chinese restaurants apply here, especially in soups. Happily, due to Vietnam’s large Buddhist populati
on, most establishments are familiar with the requirements of a vegetarian diet, and if you hit a language barrier, the word chay, in a flat tone, means “vegetarian.”
♦ Thai food works, too—just ask them to hold the fish sauce and shrimp paste. Red curry with vegetables and tofu in coconut milk is a reliable option.
• European-style restaurants provide more of a challenge, but from Polish potato pierogis to Russian kasha, from Greek spanakopita to German käsespätzle and spinatknödel, and from Italian pasta al pomodoro to side salads most anywhere, you should be able to find something that fits your needs.
Other Restaurants
Most restaurants, even steakhouses, are likely to offer at least salad and bread, and maybe bean soup. Don’t be shy about asking for off-menu options; many restaurants have an unlisted vegetarian/vegan option. Likewise, you’d be surprised at how many breakfast buffets have soy milk if you ask for it.
At a diner, you’ve always got French fries, all-day oatmeal, or grilled cheese. Nearly every American-style restaurant, from local dives to upscale gastropubs, now offers a veggie burger.
If you’re researching choices in advance, the “chain restaurant vegetarian options” Google search is your friend! Even McDonald’s has yogurt parfaits and salads.
Note that some restaurants will use the same cooking equipment for meats and vegetarian dishes; ask your server about cross-contamination if you’re concerned.
Traveling as a Vegetarian
Headed on an adventure? If you’ll be taking a flight on which a meal is served, call the airline and ask for a special vegetarian option. You’ll usually need to place your request at least 72 hours in advance. Here are some standard meal codes used by all airlines worldwide. Note that not all carriers offer every option, but VLML and VGML are almost universally available.
• AVML: Asian vegetarian meal. A lacto-vegetarian meal flavored with spices from the Indian subcontinent. Could be spicy.
Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know Page 5